FORESTDALE, Alabama - Jefferson County sheriff's officials are warning people to be cautious of an old scam that had made another appearance in the area.

Deputies received a report from a 73-year-old man who said he was walking through the parking lot of a Forestdale grocery store about noon Tuesday when a man approached him and asked him for a ride to a nearby fast-food restaurant, said sheriff's Sgt. Jack Self.

The man told the victim he was looking for a church, and wanted to give $150,000 in cash to a "church or trustworthy Christian person." They were met by a second person and had lunch together.

The two men, Self said, convinced the victim to give them $6,000 to prove he was a trustworthy Christian person so they would be able to give him the entire $150,000. The victim went to his bank and withdrew the money.

He returned to the restaurant and gave the money to the men. They handed him a package wrapped in a black handkerchief and ran out the door.

The package was empty.

Self said the investigation is ongoing.

"The Sheriff's Office cautions you to be wary of anyone offering to give you money you did not earn,'' he said